Yun Wanqing shook her head with a bitter smile.

“It is also possible the person is already dead, yet their soul lingers on. However, if it hasn’t dissipated in two hundred years, some powerful external force must be sustaining it.”

“Actually,” her voice dropped to a soft whisper as she stared at her reflection in the tea, “for these past two centuries, I have long since given up hope. I just want an answer.”

The tea room fell back into a heavy silence.

“How has the little pillow girl been lately?” Zhang Xian asked suddenly, breaking the tension.

At the mention of her daughter, a glimmer of light flashed in Yun Wanqing’s eyes. She rose solemnly, her skirt rippling like water, and gave Zhang Xian a deep, respectful bow.

“Thanks to your intervention, my daughter no longer suffers the torment of the Profound Ice Array.”

When she looked up, tears shimmered in her eyes. “I truly do not know how to repay such kindness.”

Zhiyin stood up at the perfect moment to excuse herself. “My master summons me; I must take my leave.”

Once they were alone, Zhang Xian spoke again. “I recall the girl has a Fire Spirit Root?”

Yun Wanqing nodded. “Correct, she inherited my root.” A gentle, maternal warmth softened her features at the mention of her child.

Zhang Xian smiled. That made things even easier.

He reached into his robe and produced a glowing, crimson crystal. “This is the Heart of Stone. I obtained it by chance. Since you also possess a Fire Spirit Root, why don’t I give it to you for protection?”

“Is this a spirit treasure?” Yun Wanqing’s almond-shaped eyes widened. She stood up quickly, waving her hands in a frantic refusal. “I already owe you an immense debt. How can I possibly accept something so precious?”

“I have no friends with Fire Spirit Roots; this item is useless to me.” Without waiting for further protest, Zhang Xian pressed the crystal into her hand.

When his fingers brushed her palm, he felt a delicate, lingering warmth.

“It increases the speed of spiritual energy absorption,” he explained. “More importantly, it can faintly sense hostility. That will be crucial for our future actions.”

“That still isn’t right. I cannot take a spirit treasure for nothing. I will pay you in spirit stones,” Yun Wanqing insisted, her voice flustered.

Zhang Xian casually waved his sleeve. Over a dozen jade boxes landed with a heavy thud on the floor. With a flick of his finger, the lids flew open.

Spiritual light instantly flooded the room. High-grade spirit stones filled the boxes to the brim, reflecting a dazzling, prismatic radiance.

“To be perfectly honest,” Zhang Xian shrugged, “spirit stones are just numbers to me now. This is only a small portion; any more wouldn’t fit in here. Let us not speak of stones again.”

Yun Wanqing’s body tensed. These stones alone exceeded the Cloud Raiment Pavilion’s annual transaction volume!

Her fingers clenched around the crystal, her palm still tingling where his hand had touched hers. She felt inexplicably nervous.

“You are this wealthy, yet you still insisted on doing business with my pavilion? Selling us magical instruments and pills…”

“Oh, back then I was relatively short on money.”

Yun Wanqing tilted her head, her face clearly saying: I don’t believe you.

“Alright,” Zhang Xian continued with a smile, “what I truly lacked was a partner like you—and trusted friends.”

The tips of Yun Wanqing’s ears turned a quiet, deep red. She felt he was hinting at something more, but she had no proof.

I need to explain quickly, she thought, her heart racing. I can’t let him keep doing this. If he keeps giving gifts like this, even the Master of the Cloud Raiment Pavilion won’t be able to look him in the eye.

“Actually,” she said, smoothing a stray lock of hair, “my main purpose for coming was to observe the life-draining array and face the enemy directly. There was no other meaning behind it.”

Zhang Xian laughed. “To have the assistance of a Golden Core powerhouse is more than I could wish for.”

He secretly summoned the system to check her status.

[Target: Yun Wanqing – 70-point Daughter of Destiny]

[Current Favorability: 44]

“Congratulations, Pavilion Master Yun,” he said, changing the subject. “On achieving a Supreme Spirit Root.”

Astonishment flashed in her eyes. “I clearly concealed my aura. Even those closest to me haven’t noticed.” She looked at him suspiciously. “How did you know?”

Zhang Xian took a slow, deliberate sip of tea, feigning an air of mystery. “My discerning eye has its ways.”

Last time we met, she was a 55-point Daughter of Destiny; now she’s 70. Of course I can tell.

Yun Wanqing bit her lip apologetically. “I came here intending to help you… yet I ended up taking from you again.”

She tallied the debt in her head: two Immortal Ascension Pills, the Heaven-Stealing Heart-Mending Lotus Seed for her daughter, the Earth-grade spirit liquid, and now a fire-attribute spirit treasure.

It was becoming impossible to repay.

“No matter,” Zhang Xian said easily. “After your daughter is cured, you can repay it all with interest.”

“With interest…” she murmured, involuntarily recalling his previous comment about “paying half first.”

A spirit treasure was no small thing. Her entire sect only possessed two, and one was a niche auxiliary tool. This crystal was exactly what she needed to progress.

She couldn’t bring herself to hand it back. She already owed him so much; what was one more item? She tightened her grip on the Heart of Stone.

[Ding! Successfully gifted Low-grade Spirit Treasure ‘Heart of Stone.’]

[Triggered Return: Obtained 10x Spirit Treasure Refined Essence.]

[Item Description: Earth-grade essence. Fusing it with an instrument can elevate it to a Low-grade Spirit Treasure, with a small chance for Mid-grade.]

[Note: Your current cultivation cannot activate Mid-grade Spirit Treasures.]

[Current Favorability: 45]

Success!

Joy surged through Zhang Xian. The system was truly unparalleled. Su Ling had mentioned that one needed to be at the peak of Foundation Establishment to even think about refining spirit treasures, yet here he was at the seventh level, already reaping the rewards.

After Yun Wanqing departed, Zhang Xian activated his communication jade. Before long, Zhiyin drifted back into the room.

“You seem pleased,” she noted with a light smile. “It seems a beautiful companion can indeed dispel one’s worries.”

“That has nothing to do with it. I just figured something out.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

“Ahem… tell me, do you really have no emotions?” Zhang Xian asked. “I feel you’re more perceptive than anyone. Your clones are even running psychological counseling sessions at Heavenly Puppet Peak.”

Zhiyin poured more tea, her movements perfect. “You misunderstand. I am simply imitating human emotional patterns. I do not actually comprehend the reasons behind them.”

“For instance,” she continued calmly, “if you were killed tomorrow while eating your breakfast under a willow tree, I would display the socially appropriate response of grief based on my data. But internally? There would be no affective state. I am simply an algorithm optimized for social integration.”

Zhang Xian stared at her, the transition from her warm smile to cold logic giving him chills.

“I see,” he muttered. “Let’s hope we don’t have to test that theory tomorrow.”